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I'm not sure if these are actually used as street lights in China, although it's very possible they are.

Having looked at one of these about 6 years ago I thought I'd revisit it and see how things have changed.

I've also go another one here that is bigger, rated 50W and has very good power factor.  I'll make a video about it in the future.

https://youtu.be/Rw8QlKs03fw

Files

Inside a Chinese street light from eBay

It's six years since I've looked at one of these, so I thought I'd buy another and see if the construction has changed much. It has changed a bit, but not much. It turns out that even six years ago they were using the new flip chip style LED modules, so the only slight changes are the fact it's now got an earth/ground connection, a six screw cover instead of four and the new driver is not power factor corrected, unlike the original unit which had a very good power factor. (Power factor is the relationship between voltage and current across the sine wave.) These lights are quite nicely made, and it makes me wonder if they're actually used as street lights in some areas of China. They're very hackable for replacing the LED or driver as desired if you have a specific colour requirement. They are also very serviceable in that the LED module and driver are very standard and easily available. Being such a cheap and mass produced item, I wonder how reliable they would be as an actual outdoor light. If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:- https://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's algorithm quirks, allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty. #ElectronicsCreators

Comments

Curtis Hoffmann

These are excellent for people walking the streets at night. I know a few of those streetwalkers.

Anonymous

Wonder why they didn't put a strain relief on when there's already cast holes for it

Anonymous

At least there was an effort made to ground-ish this light. Using the discrete driver provides light with less flicker than integrated on-board drivers tend to deliver. As always and as you mocked-up here, the electronic components can always be replaced/upgraded over time. The biggest concern could be the limited lifespan of the materials used in the case itself as you shared. An excellent “take-it-to-bits” as we’ve come to expect from you — thank you!